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Commissioners spent a couple of hours tweaking a draft project list assembled by Mayor Deke Copenhaver before approving it, restoring $5 million of the $8 million sought by Paine College for a new cultural center and $10 million for unspecified infrastructure projects, bringing the city Engineering Department’s allocation to $50 million; eliminating two proposed fire stations and restoring $500,000 each for Augusta Museum of History and Fleming Tennis Center.

Commissioner Donnie Smith said he was tired of haggling over projects during the meeting and called for a five-minute break in which to broker a compromise. After the break, the Paine funds sought by Commissioner Bill Fennoy, a Paine alumnus, were increased to $6 million, Smith motioned to approve the package and all six commissioners – Smith, Fennoy, Mary Davis, Joe Jackson, Grady Smith and Wayne Guilfoyle – voted “yes.”

Donnie Smith said aside from a small amount of fluff, “the rest of it is pretty good for the community” and helps “prepare the city, infrastructure-wise,” for the arrival of the Army Cyber Command, expected to bring thousands of new jobs to the region over the next few years.

With collections of the current special purpose local option sales tax around $2.95 million a month, it will take nearly six years to collect all the funds if voters approve the package. But commissioners also approved putting a $21.7 million bond issue on the ballot with the sales tax package. If approved, it would pay for a handful of projects much sooner.

Those projects include an $8 million match sought by Georgia Regents University for a new cancer center, $4.45 million for a Hephzibah multi-use recreation facility, $4 million for computer upgrades for the tax commissioner and tax assessor offices, and $5.25 million for Copenhaver’s Augusta Regional Collaborative to advance its Mills Campus proposal.

The mills proposal involves renovating two dormant textile mills into usable space, presumably for GRU, but university officials have shown no interest in the project so far. Augusta Regional Collaborative Director Matt Kwatinetz said at a recent meeting that the plan simply needed an “anchor tenant,” whoever it might be.

Cut from Copenhaver’s draft at the request of Guilfoyle was $11 million for new facilities for the Augusta Public Defender and Richmond County Juvenile Court, which occupy rented space; $5 million for two new fire stations, sparing a third for southwest Augusta; and reductions in the amounts sought by the Imperial Theatre and Symphony Orchestra Augusta.

“Overall, I believe it’s a good package. We focused on the infrastructure; it does have some outside agencies,” Guilfoyle said.

Former Commissioner Jimmy Smith spoke at the session and sought the $10 million bump for engineering. Guilfoyle said that increase will facilitate much-needed road improvements in his south Richmond County commission district and elsewhere.

Fennoy raised issues earlier in the meeting shared by his absent colleague Commissioner Bill Lockett about the rushed process that has sought no input from the public.

“I believe that we need to take the time to hear from the voters of Richmond County, their concerns and what they want,” Fennoy said, adding that neighborhood associations and other community groups should have a chance to weigh in on the package before it is finalized.

The entire process was accomplished in about a month, after Copenhaver informed commissioners in January that GRU had to have the $8 million match by July. While funds won’t be collected until the present sales tax package expires, probably early 2016, the match demand coupled with changes in state election dates and laws mandated the election be held May 20, Copenhaver and other city officials have said.

“After getting a package approved, we have public meetings,” Copenhaver said.

If the sales tax package fails, the city must wait a year to present it again to voters. Counties can no longer call special elections just for a special purpose local option sales tax, so the next opportunity will be November 2015, Deputy Finance Director Tim Schroer said.

Copenhaver added that if the package isn’t passed May 20, a new mayor and several new commissioners up for election will want to “put their stamp” on the package.

The requests by outside agencies require the agencies to raise a 25 percent match within two years, and demonstrate they are able to complete the projects, Schroer said.

The revised package included $19 million for Recreation, Parks and Facilities based on a streamlined set of projects requested by Recreation Director Bob Levine at a Thursday work session.

It also included $2 million for library improvements, $2 million for demolitions, $2.775 million for Greater Augusta Arts Council and $1.5 million for a Downtown Development Authority surface parking lot.

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I am not against this splost package, however it is missing so many much needed projects in Richmond County. I'M VOTING NO ON THIS PACKAGE AND WILL TELL OTHERS TO VOTE NO ALSO. And I will say that the entire current Commission needs to be voted out at the end of their terms.

Butterman......well of course if Wayne Guilfoyle voted for this pork laden artsy fartsy PRIVATE ORGANIZATION SPLOST list then I am not happy about it. If he thinks ART SPACE is where our tax dollars need to go instead of getting Mosquito Control, supporting the Marshals, and improving the radio system then he is mistaken and I strongly disagree with him.

If this is the cleanest list our commissioners had the courage to come up with, if they did not have the courage to put together their own list and instead let the Boy King dictate the priorities for THEIR constituents, then they have assured my no vote and I hope the NO vote of the majority of RC voters.

VOTE NO ON THIS SPLOST and remember to call your commissioner when the mosquitos start biting. Ask them if they can send one of those artsy fartsy mural painters out with their brush to swat mosquitos. They damned sure aren't good for anything else.

I have spent many hours working on this SPLOST project, attending the meetings, and listening to the request of Department heads and outside agencies. I developed a different list than what was purposed, mainly focusing on the needs of the county infrastructure. We also have the requests of both Blythe and Hephzibah for their infrastructure. When all was said and done at todays meeting everyone had their wants and needs for their district. I'm glad that I had the support of the fellow commissioners because we were able to increase the Engineers Dept. from 40 to 50 mill also administration, IT, fleet, Sheriff Dept., Fire Dept., Planning & Development, Aug. Authorities, Library and Rec Dept. were on the list as well which totaled 112.1 mill. which benefits us all. We also were able to get the request of both Hephzibah and Blythe request at the tune of 10.3 mill. Thru this process I feel I did the best I could and the voters can either be in favor or not, they will have the opportunity to cast their vote.

So Wayne, if this is not the package you would have liked then why didn't you vote no to putting this on the May 20 ballot to give ya'll plenty of time to put together a package that everyone could live with. This is Mayor Deke's Splost package plain and simple and you guys just rubberstamped it at lightening speed. As the commissioner representing most of the southside you couldn't fight for moquito control and the sheriff's dept needs over all the artsy fartsy fluff that ended up making the cut? And why does this included anything for the mills when GRU has not even said if they are interested in it?

Countyman, that is why you do not rush something like this. The mayor created a false deadline to try to force commissioners to pass HIS SPLOST package. They bended under the pressure yet again. They should have waited, held more meetings and allowed the public to get involved in developing the package and put it to a vote in November. But the mayor knew if they held off he might not get his pet projects included.

No one compromised. Deke got what he wanted and six commissioners just rubberstamped it. Compromise would have been holding this vote off till November so everyone could have had a chance to go through this package carefully and allow more public input. They rushed these workshops at the last minute and held at times when most commissioners and the public could not even attend.

For profiting entities. Very disappointed in Wayne. I will be moving back to ARC in the next year and you can be sure I will get involved in Augusta politics. Someone needs to stand up against the downtown waste and the rogering the tax payers get in the name of progress.

For profiting entities. Very disappointed in Wayne. I will be moving back to ARC in the next year and you can be sure I will get involved in Augusta politics. Someone needs to stand up against the downtown waste and the rogering the tax payers get in the name of progress.

SPLOST should be for improvements to infrastructure. It should not be for people to use to fund their pet projects. You want to make money for arts have fundraisers. It's gotten to the point that everyone thinks they should just be able to hold out their hand for funding. As far as the mills campus? They make billions at MCG. Let them pay for it themselves!

Not exactly "full" as people were claiming. I don't mind this amount, anything to bring more culture and class to downtown. Lets face it, if more people come downtown, that equals more foot traffic, which equals more businesses which will equate to more public safety in an area that's badly needed. People whine and complain about downtown and how unsafe it is, how the riverwalk doesn't hold up to its peers (Savannah and Columbus) and how theres nothing to do downtown. You can please some of the people but not everyone is going to be happy.

The arts should all be held back until the next splost go around. Love the arts but, sorry, not in this economy. And does Paine have their act together to warrant something built there? Why should the commissioners have to pacify each other to come to an agreement? Aren't they supposed to be doing what is best for the county? Just spend money on what the county "needs". The "wants" have to wait until a better time. We don't need everything on that list. Unless, of course, you want to act like a big deal to your buddies for having twisted arms of the commissioners who were told to show up. With something so important you would think they would ALL be there!